I teach grade four ESL at Cheongwon Elementary School in Seoul, South Korea. We have recently started using a streamlined version of the Common Core State Standards in our English department. This is why I have chosen from those standards for this backward mapping (UbD) lesson.

The standard I am using for this lesson is a fourth grade literacy standard.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text (CCSS, 2016).

Proficiencies - Using this standard, students will be able to reference details and examples from the text they read. They will be able to explain what the main idea of the text is, based on those details and examples. Also, they will be able to draw inferences from the details and examples to further the understanding of the text.

Assessments - Students can be assessed on this skill in many ways. Simply asking students comprehension questions about a text can show how well they understood the text details and can restate them. They can underline or circle details that support the main idea of the text. They can rewrite the details that help explain the main idea and share them with the class. I would like to make an authentic project assessment using this standard, so I will also use a book report as an assessment of mastery for this skill along with the other assessments I mentioned. I am looking for transfer of knowledge and "transfer is about independent performance (McTighe, 2012)" In order to assess transfer, the student should be assessed on the skill in a new environment or with unfamiliar content and be able to show understanding of the skill on their own. The book report would show that well, but would be a summative assessment where as the others would be formative.

Learning Experiences - The book report is the main learning experience to show knowledge of the skill transfer. However, there will be many other learning experiences to build to mastery with this skill. First, students can read informational text passages with a partner and find the main idea and details of the text. Working together helps students understand the process better because there will be three outcomes for them: 1. They verify their method by watching another student follow the same techniques to find the main idea and details. 2. They learn a better way to find the main idea and details by watching another student who is more successful at the skill, or 3. They help solidify their method by explaining it and teaching it to a student who is struggling with the skill. Second, students can practice drawing inferences with puzzles or riddles that force them to understand the skill to get a feel for it in a fun and motivating activity before applying it to less interesting textbook passages. This will sharpen their ability to draw inferences using the details they have learned to identify in the last lesson. Finally, putting them together, they can add a scene to a story. In order to accomplish this task, they would need to be able to identify and comprehend details from the original story. Then, they would need to draw conclusions about that story and use their own details to communicate their ideas.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King jr.)

Woman on the Bus

A woman looks at her phone on a bus in downtown Seoul, 2015

Seoul Protest 2015

People from around 120 unions and groups organized the protests on Saturday, December 5th, that saw thousands marching through downtown Seoul. Many people carried signs that said roughly "listen to the people" as they feel the current government is not working for the people but for the Chaebol (large corporations).

Mask Dance

Thousands took to the streets to protest several government plans in Seoul on Saturday, December 5th. They were told not to wear masks because of the "threat of ISIS". The protesters responded by wearing thousands of masks, some dancing traditional samulnori along the way.

Shoulder View

Getting a better view of the traditional Korean dancing at the Bupyeong Festival, this girl sits on dad's shoulders.

Angled Emotion

A man picks up recycling in the city while a little girl pouts in the doorway behind him.

Framing the Street

Tucked into an alley in northern Seoul, graffiti hides as people walk past.

The Clown

A performer prepares to entertain children on Children's Day at Children's Grand Park in Seoul.

Yellow Dust Love

A couple gets intimate during yellow dust season in Myeongdong. "Yellow Dust" is the polluted air that drifts from the Gobi Desert, picking up coal pollution over the cities of China, to Korea.

Rock Reflection

Cape Disappointment, Washington

Launch Pad to the Universe

The Milky Way jetting up from the peaks at Colonial in the North Cascades, Washington

Watercolor Sky

The colors of sunset above Eastern Jeju Island, South Korea

The Race

Two shooting stars race across the night sky at Liberty Bell Peak, Washington

Mt. St. Helens

From Johnston Ridge

The Girl with the Mask

"Park Geun Hye resign" is written across her mask. She speaks loudly without noise in the crowd f nearly a million protesting the president of South Korea on 11/12

Monk in the Front

A million people took to the streets on 11/12 to protest the president in one of the largest protests in Korean history. Many religious leaders joined together to hold signs that read "Park Geun Hye resign"

Man with Candle

One of a million protesting the president of South Korea on 11/12, holding a candle for the vigil and marching to show his support of the president stepping down.

Helping Hands

These girls help this man light his candle as night falls over approximately a million people in the streets of downtown Seoul on 11/12.

Anti-Government DJ Spinning

A DJ spins music for the crowd of protesters on 11/12 as they march against the president of Korea.

A Family Marches

A family marches with candles during the protest on 11/12 that saw a million people spill into the streets of downtown Seoul.

Flying

Flying on the shoulders of her father, this girl had a VIP view of the million person protest against the president on 11/12

Spectacle

Overlooking the crowd in the square, a man surveys the scene. Lights, musicians, food stalls, and a million people peacefully protesting the president and chanting in waves, "Park Geun Hye resign".

Tiring Protest

A little girl yawns on her father's shoulders late into the night as they continue to march against the president.